The club's AGM was held last Monday night with reflections on the year gone by as well as the practical motions and elections.
The following committee was elected, with unanimity for each candidate.
President: Denis Gleeson
Vice-president: Damien Long
Secretary: Fergal O'Sullivan (amalgamating Dick O'Brien's role)
Treasurer: Mark Mulcahy
PRO: Luke Potter (replacing Eugene Dillon)
League reps:
- Eddy Lane
- Damien Long
- Jeni Sheridan
- Paul Tansey
- David Hendron
- Dick O’Brien (marshalling)
- Brian McArdle (results)
- Dave Mc (TTs)
Leisure rep: Leonard Kaye (replacing Garret Connolly)
Racing reps:
- Stephen O'Shea
- Orla Hendron
Women's rep: Orla Walsh (subject to approval, replacing Ann Horan)
Youth rep: Jen Sheridan
Junior rep: Dave McLoughlin
Track rep: Eddie Lynch
Social rep: Ann Horan
Sponsorship co-ordinator: --
Child Protection: Dave Murnane (replacing Kathryn Keogh)
Club kit: Michael Hanley
Club car: Eddie Lynch
The evening opened with the new constitution being approved by an EGM after a brief discussion and a few minor reservations.
After the minutes from last year's AGM were read and corrected before being accepted, club president Denis Gleeson began the AGM with a description of his vision for Orwell, with a revised constitution at its heart. He and Stephen O'Shea have been hard at work with DLRCC on obtaining a premises, with a shipping container now in place - the first step.
He thanked the out-going committee for their 'tireless effort' over one of the most successful years for the club. As well as burgeoning membership numbers, we held the first CX and Track Champs for a club in the country, as well as a youth race and the Hammond and Roche events. On the leisure side, audax-mania hit the club with the introduction of a Randonneur medal.
The National Championships in June were the undoubted highlight, with the president praising the 'smiling faces' on the many volunteer marshals in their Orwell jackets. The club received plenty of good feedback on a safe and well-run event.
Mr Gleeson also thanked the club's sponsors and advertisers through the year - Scott, Murphy & Gunn, Cycling Ireland, Cycling Leinster, Dundrum Town Centre, Dundrum Credit Union, Lisney, Blueface, Felt, Joe Daly Cycles and Tansey Chiropractic.
The next to speak was Treasurer Mark Mulcahy, who presented a healthy set of accounts. Thanks to Kit rep Mike Hanley's new online store, the club has less money tied up in kit stock than previously and keeping our cash flow in the black. This change has been increasingly necessary to accommodate the club's recent growth. Joe Daly Cycles has been very generous with their time and space, but the kit has become a bigger burden than ever and we can no longer ask Joe Daly's to shoulder so much of it.
There was also a discussion about the expenses of the club car and van, and the funds invested in capital equipment this year. With the container now available for storage, the various pieces of equipment from attics and garages can now be kept in one place and shared far more easily.
Dick O'Brien gave a comprehensive run down of the events Orwell has been involved in during 2016, from the full programme of races at the Roche GP to the championships for the track, CX and 50 Mile TT. Audaxes, leisure events, races, leagues all featured, and added to them were the Monday night youth racing and the youth stage race in May.
From the track, Eddie Lynch reported on the success of Orwells in the national champs, with David Swift helping to enter two pursuit teams, while there were medals at national and world level from both men and women.
Damien Long detailed the 19 rounds of the league, with the resurrection of the BAR competition and the instatement of the Pat O'Brien Memorial shield. 108 took part in the Pine Forest TT, with about 50 riders on average each night. He thanked all those who marshalled during the year, where the mandatory training contributed to limiting crashes.
With 65% of the club identifying as leisure, Leonard Kaye had a lot to report. There's 90 volunteers in waiting for the Sunday spins, with 12 of those officially trained on a ride leader course. Another course will be held during the winter.
The participation competition was a massive success, especially amongst those led by Derek, Kathryn, Rodney and Gerard. Well done also to Eugene and those who tracked the competition points during the year, while if anyone wants to earn a Randonneur medal, that competition remains open until the year end.
For the women, Ann Horan listed the training courses and camps and thanked all those who helped. She highlighted the numbers involved in the jump of female membership from 90 in 2014 to 220 today!
In her role as social rep, there was also plenty going on - from the table quiz where members generously raised €3,000 to the family barbecue. The recent prize-giving with Pat O'Brien's family was also a success, and it's not over yet - there's the weekend away and the Christmas party will be on December 10th in the Merrion Inn!
Outgoing CPO Kathryn Keogh had no news which is good news! Garda vetting has now moved online, which should speed up the process for those looking to help out with the youth and juniors.
Those youth and Juniors were very active thanks to the triumvirate of Stephen Ryan, Jen Sheridan and Dave McLoughlin. We had a team in the Scott Junior Tour team starring Sean Murnane, while two of our juniors will be moving to senior level next year. The youth programme has seen high numbers, with 29 out the day before the AGM and a triple national champion in Lara Gillespie. A focus was put on the social aspect though, with making friends and inviting different clubs to participate in Monday night racing contributing to the success.
According to Orla Hendron and Stephen O'Shea the senior scene enjoyed similar success, with both Rás and Rás na mBan teams putting in great performances. Tributes were paid to the Orwell members who acted as managers and mechanics across all race teams - junior and senior.
Membership secretary Fergal O'Sullivan presented a series of figures showing the breakdown of the club, with ages ranging from three to eighty. The most common name is 'John'. Questions were asked about the retention rate and whether the club is too big? The emphasis was put on the need to mix all sections of the club, especially in a social sense.
The elections were then held (committee listed above).
The motions were discussed and voted on. With the first four motions being withdrawn (after the constitution being approved), we had to have a long discussion about the first one on the agenda to make up for it. It eventually passed nearly unanimously, while the motion on the membership levy was also carried, though by a slimmer margin.
Motion 7 was amended to only apply to adults and carried, while the eighth and final motion was defeated.
With that, we were kicked out of the room after over-running our allowed time. Don't miss the Gerry Brannigan Memorial this Sunday, and don't forget to congratulate your new committee when you see them there!
